Wanderer
The known by the name of Wanderer was an elusive figure in the history of the . Born as a during the , this low-rated Forerunner took it upon himself to violate the foundational laws of the and forcibly mutate his body into that of a . Aided and abetted by his friend Soulweaver, herself a , the renegade Miner was received and protected by a commander known as the Dekanate. The mutated warrior served as the Dekanate's subaltern during the war against the Flood and became known as one of the most fearsome warriors of the immense conflict. However, near the end of the war a rift erupted between himself and the Dekanate and he was cast from the commander's ranks, receiving the disgraceful title of "Wanderer" which marked him as a deserter and traitor to the Mantle. The Wanderer was defeated in the private war that ensued, but rather than end his life the Dekanate instead him and preserved his consciousness and genetic data within a specialized device. The only one who did not abandon the Wanderer was Soulweaver, who had fought alongside him in his rebellion against the Dekanate. By her own volition she was composed and imprisoned alongside the Wanderer; together, their consciousnesses escaped the destruction wrought by the and lived on in the millennia that followed the Forerunner's destruction. Unlike most composed beings, the Wanderer was able to retain his own will and consciousness following his body's destruction. Trapped in a horrific, disembodied state he was nonetheless able to exert his will on the physical plane. During the 26th century he attempted to his consciousness onto the renegade Simon-G294 with the intent of inducing a and using the human's body as the vessel for his own reincarnation. Due to human physiology's incompatibility with Forerunner mutation patterns this effort was only marginally successful, partially imprinting the Wanderer's consciousness and genetic markers onto Simon but failing to induce a complete transformation. The Wanderer's consciousness reacted with augmentations made to the young Spartan's brain and surfaced as a ruthless alternate persona called "Stray." As Stray the dormant Wanderer existed in an uneasy equilibrium with Simon's own ego until the uprising attempted to re-instate the Mantle of Responsibility upon the galaxy. A reawakened Wanderer subtly influenced Simon to resist the Created and fight to ensure that the Mantle would never again dominate the galaxy. Personality and Traits In life, the Forerunner who become the Wanderer was brash and ambitious, willing to break even the ancient laws of the Forerunner caste structure in pursuit of his own convictions. His deep-seated passions alienated him from his fellow Miners and eventually drove him to seek out the life of a Warrior-Servant in the hopes that such a role would sooth his restless spirit. Though his transformation brought the wayward Forerunner some measure of fulfillment, he was shunned by most other Warrior-Servants for his aberrant behavior and only found acceptance when he entered into the Dekanate's service. His lifelong friend Soulweaver shared his inquisitive, rebellious nature and introduced him to paths of philosophical inquiry long discouraged by the Ecumene; the two Forerunners often spent long conversations together debating ideas regarding the Mantle and their people's place in the galaxy. The Wanderer truly came into his own during the war against the Flood, gaining a reputation as a ferocious warrior who would level entire battlefields in pursuit of his objectives. The same passion and independence that served him well in combat eventually drove him to rebel against the Ecumene and the Dekanate's respective efforts to dominate the galaxy under the Mantle of Responsibility. The Wanderer's willingness to knowingly fight a doomed battle led to his downfall and imprisonment. The Wanderer's indomitable will allowed him to retain his identity even after being composed. His consciousness endured several millennia of a hellish existence trapped within a digitized state. When two Spartans stumbled upon his prison, the Wanderer seized his chance at freedom and imprinted himself onto Simon-G294 in the hope that the young Spartan would become his vessel and allow him to return to physical existence. The imperfect mutation fused elements of the Wanderer's consciousness with Simon's already warped persona; the proud Forerunner warrior became trapped within the human's body and became an alternate persona known as "Stray." As Stray the Wanderer was ruthless and calculating, barely aware of his true identity as he struggled to assert his ego over Simon's. Even in the midst of the failed mutation, the Wanderer's will eventually asserted itself and drove Simon to seek out his old outposts in an effort to force open a path to the . Though the Wanderer rejected traditional assumptions of innate Forerunner supremacy, he nonetheless took great pride in his enhanced abilities and scorned those species too weak to resist his people's imperial rule over the galaxy. He considered his use of an "inferior" human host body to be a grave humiliation, a feeling intensified by Simon-G294's outcast status even among his fellow humans. Category:Forerunners